In the display of products in stores and supermarkets, it is frequently desirable to employ shelf organizing systems that facilitate alignment of similar product items in a front-to-back column, neatly aligned and presenting an attractive display to the customer. Inasmuch as different product items occupy different amounts of space on the display shelves, such organizers frequently accommodate width adjustment, so that narrow packages can be aligned in a narrow column and wider packages in a wider column. A wide variety of devices and systems are available for this general purpose. Typically, however, known systems suffer from various disadvantages including excessive cost and complication, unsuitability for certain environments, such as use in freezers for the display of frozen foods, etc.
The present invention is directed to an improved and simplified form of product display system in which the component parts are reduced to a bare minimum of elemental components, which nevertheless perform the necessary functions in a superior manner. Additionally, the product display system of the invention is especially suitable for use in freezer compartments, for example, while at the same time being equally suitable for use in connection with conventional shelf displays.
For the display of products in a food freezer environment, standard plastic materials commonly used in display systems are not well suited, because of a tendency to crack and break in the low temperature environment. While engineering plastic materials are available which will withstand the cold environment, such materials are rather costly and thus economically unsuitable to be substituted for ordinary plastic materials in systems of conventional design. Pursuant to the present invention, a product display system is provided in which the elements thereof are formed principally of steel wire, and plastic components are utilized in a critical way but in only a minimal amount. Accordingly, it is altogether feasible to utilize appropriate engineering plastics, such as xe2x80x9cCelconxe2x80x9d(trademark) for the plastic components. The display system of the invention is also ideally suited for use in the display of frozen food products, for example, because the primary use of wire components, and the minimal use of plastic components, provides for a wide open structure, accommodating free circulation of air within the freezer compartment. Such circulation is particularly important to maintain proper storage of the frozen products and can be significantly inhibited by display systems of conventional design making extensive use of plastics, sheet metal or the like in their construction.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a display system incorporates a pair of spaced-apart front and back display supports formed of molded plastic material and extending transversely of a front-to-back axis of the system. These plastic display supports may be minimally dimensioned, and may be formed of a suitable engineering plastic material. Each of the plastic display supports is provided with transverse recesses for the slideable reception of wire side supports which extend from the front display support to the back display support and define an adjustable width space for the alignment of product items between the front and back display supports. Opposite side supports are received in separate recesses in the display supports, which are arranged in side-by-side, parallel relation such that, in a minimum width configuration of the system, transversely disposed mounting elements of the side supports, which are received in the recesses, are arranged in overlapping relation. By adjusting the side supports transversely toward and away from the front and back display supports, the width of the product guide channel can be readily adjusted to the width of the product, as will be understood.
In a preferred and illustrated form of the invention, a rectangular main frame is provided, which is of wire construction and includes spaced-apart side elements extending between the front and back display supports, and transverse wire elements extending between the two side elements. The front and back display supports are provided with snap-in grooves for the reception of the transverse wire elements, enabling the display supports to be tightly attached to the wire frame. At its forward end, the wire frame may be formed with upright elements forming a front stop for product packages being urged forwardly by a clerk or by automatic pusher means. The wire frame also serves to provide a bottom support or xe2x80x9cfloorxe2x80x9d for product packages confined between the adjustably positioned side elements.
Pursuant to the invention, the front and back display supports are constructed to accommodate positioning on a flat display shelf, for example, and also to be supported within a freezer compartment, advantageously by being supported exclusively at the front and the back, providing free air circulation within the freezer compartment, and also accommodating lateral sliding movement of the display device, if desired, for access to lower areas of the compartment.
The display system of the invention accommodates side-by-side assembly of a series of display units, as a unitary structure, while at the same time providing that each of the units is separately width adjustable. This is accomplished by providing intermediate side supports in which transverse wire mounting elements are slideably engaged with front and back display supports on. opposite sides. The intermediate side support thus connects adjacent product display units together, while accommodating width adjustment of each independently.
In certain configurations, the display system of the invention can advantageously incorporate spring-loaded pusher mechanisms that serve to urge product packages to forwardmost positions in the display. Such pusher mechanisms are, in general well known. Nevertheless, the system of the invention incorporates advantageous improvements for simplified manufacture and operation and lower cost. In one form of the invention, the display supports and the associated wire frame are configured to receive a pre-assembled pusher unit, which is conveniently snapped in place at the front and back of the structure and provides the desired product pusher operation. In another advantageous embodiment, a specially designed pusher sled is provided which is snapped over side wires of the main frame and uses those wires as a guide track for its movement. A coiled strip spring, housed in the sled, attaches to the front display support and provides the desired spring action to urge product packages to the front of the display.
For a more complete understanding of the above and other features and advantages of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, and to the accompanying drawings.